Mission and Learning Goals

The peace studies program encourages students to think and act with responsible human freedom and to be capable of effective service to others. Inside and outside of the classroom the Peace Studies Department seeks to cultivate an environment for learning which draws its deepest inspiration from a desire for the truth, for justice and for charity. Our commitment to community-based education is evidenced by the internships and service learning activities that peace studies majors and minors undertake.

Practitioners in the field of peace studies are aware that any concrete situation reflects multiple issues. Effective peacemaking and conflict resolution thus requires an ability to synthesize the strands involved in the conflict, including gender and ethnicity, economics and environment, religion and philosophy, culture and government, history and literature, psychology and social structure.

The Peace Studies Department annually assesses student learning in the major. Current measures of assessment include: a portfolio of written work, a student self-evaluation of their experience in the major, site supervisors’ evaluations of internship performance, a meeting with majors in the spring of their senior year, and a survey of graduates conducted on a periodic basis.

Our major is designed to be individualized and tailored to each student’s unique learning goals. By choosing one of the three tracks—Social Science, Humanities or Natural Science—students are able to pursue a personalized education that allows for academic freedom while instilling critical thinking and effective communication skills. A major in peace studies will prepare you to achieve your own life ambitions; just look what these graduates are doing: